It's About to Get Dangerously Cold

Anyone listening to national weather forecasts this week is going to hear a lot of superlatives. But this isn't merely about snow—it's about frigid temperatures to follow, especially in the Midwest. As in, wind chills of minus-51 in Minneapolis and minus-47 in Chicago early Wednesday, report ABC News. As the National Weather Service in Des Moines puts it, "This may be the coldest air in a generation," per Axios. The latter site is more specific: Those under 25 in the Midwest are about to experience the coldest temperatures of their lives.

"Wind chills will fall to dangerous levels in the Upper Midwest this week, and should be the coldest since the mid-1990s in parts of the eastern Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Illinois," warns the National Weather Service. "Wind chills falling below -40 can cause frostbite on exposed skin in minutes." And before the frigid temperatures, snow is already piling up, reports the AP. For example, more than a foot was expected in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin on Monday, and blizzard conditions already have been reported throughout the Upper Midwest. (More winter storm stories.)